7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Back in October of 2013, I created a short sequence in preparation for my media coursework. It helped me hone my filming and editing skills and practice the use of continuity techniques such as the 30 degree rule, the 180 degree rule, shot-reverse shot and match on action.




After reviewing our prelim, I noticed that there were quite few hiccups in regards to continuity. There were times when we didn't properly utilise match on action and that severely damaged the flow of our prelim. We also moved the camera too frequently and unnecessarily.

Additionally, our camera work for exceptionally poor. The framing was either too tight or too loose, which eliminated any potential excitement from an already boring sequence. Furthermore, there were a couple of massive jolts when we were panning the camera. This seemed extremely unnatural and reduced the already narrow likelihood that the audience would be able to suspend their disbelief

However, all of these mistakes were great practice for when we were creating our final product. It is clear that we significantly improved on all fronts, when comparing our prelim to our final product. Our final product can be seen below:

Pre-Production 

In order to successfully meet the demands of the brief, we would have to plan efficiently as a team. This would significantly reduce the chances of something going wrong and it would generally make the whole process much clearer and smoother.

There were multiple focal points of our research and planning:

Script

We created a script and gave each actor a copy in advance. This allowed them to learn their lines and practice portraying their character. We included slang and some cursing in order to make it seem more genuine, as that is what you'd expect from a teenage Londoner.

The Script

Location

Theoretically we could have filmed anywhere in London, however, we soon realised that there were many practical obstacles in the form of licences, transport and safety. 

• We needed to be able to get all the equipment from school to the shoot location. This was done by walking the equipment to my house the night before and then transporting us and the equipment to the shoot location via car. 
• Many places in central London were off limit because we needed a permit/license in order to film there. Therefore, we resorted to sticking to the suburbs.
• Considering we needed to shoot in and near an estate, safety became a concern. Estates tend to have higher rates of crime and considering we had expensive equipment on us, going to any edgy estates would have been impractical. 

Thankfully, we found a good shoot location that fulfilled all the criteria (bus stop, ease of access, estate, safety and no license requirement).

Shoot location with estate in background

Storyboard and Animatic

We created a storyboard to have a physical visualization of what shots we would need to take. It covered what framing, transitions, dialogue and actors were required for each shot.

The storyboard

 Similarly, we made an animatic, which is essentially just a storyboard in video form. It can be seen below:

Shootboard

Then, from a combination of images from our animatic, test shoot and storyboard, we created a shootboard. This was a file that had all the details we would need for our shoot, from the dialogue to the number of takes. Furthermore, rather than putting the shots in chronological order, we organised them in the order that we would take each shot.

An example of an early shootboard

Contracts

As an extra precaution, we created actor contracts that would ensure that all of our actors would definietly be where we needed them and when we needed them. This also made it clear for our actors exactly how long they were required for, as to not waste their time.

The actor contract

Production

Throughout the production of our final product, we vastly improved on camera work and communication within the team. Below are examples of just how much we improved our ability to keep a sequence continuous:

180 degree rule:

Prelim

Final Product

Match on action:

Prelim

Final Product

30 degree rule:

Prelim

Final Product

Shot-reverse-shot:

Prelim

Final Product

Post-Production

The prelim allowed us to regain our familiarity with Adobe Premier Pro CS5. However, it provided little more in regards to editing. We didn't add any grading or titles and we didn't alter the sound mix.

The main bulk of usefulness gained from the prelim was in the pre-production and the actual production. However, because we learnt more about production during the prelim, it helped us recognise things we had to look out for and eliminate in the edit. Namely, breakages of the 180 or 30 degree rule and so.

Possible Improvements

In hindsight, to improve the final product, I would have focused more on creating a better quality animatic. The animatic we created was extremely basic and we found little use for it, so we instead resorted to predominantly using the storyboard.

In addition, there were a few shots that could have had better framing, but in the grand scheme of things they are very minor and the end result was acceptable enough anyway.

Personal Development

Throughout the process I significantly enhanced my technical understanding of media. For instance, how to properly operate a camera whilst still conforming to continuity rules.

However, I feel as though the most valuable development gained from this process, is the improvement of my team working skills. Skills such as communication, the ability and the ability to notice and utilise each individual's strengths.